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Mateo Hernandez

Can you get California EDD unemployment and Social Security at the same time?

So I just got laid off from my warehouse supervisor job last month after 11 years with the same company. I'm 64 and have been collecting Social Security retirement benefits for about a year now. My coworker told me I can't collect California EDD unemployment if I'm already getting Social Security, but when I called EDD they just kept me on hold for 45 minutes and then disconnected. I did some googling and got completely contradictory answers. Some sites say Social Security disqualifies you, others say it just reduces your weekly benefit amount. I filed my claim anyway because I need the income, but now I'm panicking that I'm going to get hit with an overpayment notice down the road if I'm not actually eligible. Can anyone who has actually dealt with this situation tell me what the real answer is? Do you get unemployment and Social Security at the same time in California, or am I about to make a huge mistake?

Yes you absolutely can collect both at the same time in California. Federal law used to require states to reduce unemployment benefits dollar for dollar based on Social Security income but California eliminated that offset years ago. Your Social Security retirement payments do NOT reduce your weekly UI benefit amount and receiving Social Security does NOT disqualify you from unemployment. You just need to meet the standard eligibility requirements - able and available to work, actively looking for work, and you lost your job through no fault of your own. Since you were laid off after 11 years that last part sounds covered. Report your Social Security income when you file your claim since EDD asks about it, but know that it won't affect your weekly benefit amount.

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This is such a relief to hear. So I just report it on my initial claim but it doesn't actually reduce what I get? That seems almost too good to be true after all the conflicting info I found online.

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Confirming this is accurate. California removed the Social Security offset from UI calculations. You're good to file and collect both.

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wait so other states DO reduce your unemployment if you get social security?? thats wild i had no idea states could be different on this

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I was in almost this exact situation two years ago, retired early at 62 and started SS, then got laid off from a part time job I was doing to supplement. I was terrified about the same thing. Called EDD like 30 times over two weeks and couldn't get through. A friend eventually pointed me toward Claimyr (claimyr.com) which basically gets you connected to an actual EDD agent without spending your whole day redialing. There's a video showing how it works at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10. Once I actually got an agent on the phone she confirmed right away that Social Security doesn't affect California unemployment eligibility or benefit amounts. Saved me weeks of anxiety just getting that one direct answer.

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I've been trying to get through to EDD for days. Going to check out that Claimyr link right now, thanks for sharing.

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does that actually work? i've been trying to reach edd for 3 weeks about a totally different issue and can't get anyone

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It worked for me, got connected within a couple hours. Way better than the redial loop I was stuck in.

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bookmarking this thread just for that link honestly

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The previous replies are correct but I want to add some nuance. There ARE some scenarios where Social Security income intersects with unemployment in ways people don't expect: 1. SSDI (Social Security Disability Insurance) is different from retirement SS. If you're on SSDI and claiming you're able and available to work for UI purposes, that can create a conflict since SSDI requires you to have a disabling condition that prevents substantial work. 2. Regular Social Security retirement benefits - totally fine, no offset in California. 3. You still need to meet the base period earnings requirements for UI separately. Your SS income doesn't count toward that - only wages from employment. Since you mentioned being 64 and collecting retirement SS for a year, you're in the clear category. Just make sure your base period wages from your warehouse job are enough to establish a claim, which after 11 years at one employer almost certainly yes.

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Oh good point about SSDI vs retirement - I'm on regular retirement SS so sounds like I'm in the good category. And yeah I made decent wages for 11 years so I imagine the base period is fine.

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this is a really important distinction omg. i'm on SSDI and was about to file for unemployment after losing a part time job. so that could be a problem for me?

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For SSDI it's complicated and really depends on your specific situation. The 'able and available to work' requirement for UI can conflict with the disability requirement for SSDI. You should definitely talk to an EDD rep or a benefits counselor before filing because it's not automatic disqualification but it's not simple either.

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okay yeah i need to actually call EDD then. great now i have to figure out how to get through to them lol

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ELEVEN YEARS and they just laid you off?? god I hate these companies. anyway yes you can get both, California got rid of the SS offset a long time ago. make sure you're filing your weekly certifications every single week without missing one, that's more important than the SS question honestly. missed certifications are how people lose out on money they're owed.

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Yeah it was a shock. And good reminder about the weekly certifications - I've done the first two but I'll make sure I stay on top of it.

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seriously the weekly cert thing trips so many people up. set a phone reminder for Sunday nights

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ok so I'm reading this and getting confused. if you get social security does that count as income you have to report when doing your weekly cert? like every week do you have to put down your SS payment?

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Good question. When you do your weekly certification, EDD asks if you received any income that week. Social Security is technically income but for the weekly cert it works differently than wages. Wages from working reduce your UI benefit dollar for dollar (after a small earnings disregard). Social Security does NOT reduce your weekly UI benefit because California removed that offset. You should still be honest about it on your initial claim application, but for the weekly certs the SS amount doesn't affect your payment.

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ohhhh ok so it's different for the initial application vs the weekly certs. that makes more sense now thank you

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To be safe if the weekly cert ever specifically asks about SS income just answer honestly. The system is supposed to handle it correctly but if anything looks off call EDD.

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my grandma went through something similar and her neighbor told her she had to pick one or the other and she almost didn't file for unemployment because of it. she would have missed out on like $400 a week for six months. bad advice from well-meaning people causes so much unnecessary stress with this stuff

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This is exactly what happened to me - my coworker genuinely thought he was helping but his info was just wrong. Glad your grandma figured it out.

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this is why i always say verify everything with EDD directly or from official sources. people pass around outdated information forever

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I spent three weeks convinced I couldn't get unemployment because of my pension from a previous employer. Turns out pensions CAN reduce UI benefits in California (unlike Social Security) so there is a real offset there. But SS retirement is treated differently. Worth knowing the distinction if anyone else has both a pension AND Social Security like I do.

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This is correct and an important point. Pension income from a base period employer can reduce UI benefits in California. Social Security retirement does not. These get confused a lot because people lump all 'retirement income' together.

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Interesting - I don't have a pension from this job luckily, just my 401k which I'm not drawing from yet. So sounds like I'm clear on all fronts.

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Yeah 401k withdrawals are a different question too but if you're not taking distributions you're definitely fine.

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just want to say this thread is genuinely the most useful thing i've found after hours of googling. california edd's own website is so confusing on this topic

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Right?? The official FAQ buries the answer in language that's hard to parse. Took me finding actual people who went through it to feel confident.

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edd's website has been confusing since forever lol they never make anything simple

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Coming back to add - when I used Claimyr to finally reach an EDD agent about my situation (the SS + UI question), the agent also walked me through the job search requirements which is another area that trips up older claimants. At 64 you still have to do the required job search activities each week and log them. No exception for age. Some people assume because they're near retirement age they get a pass on job search requirements but nope. Make sure you're doing and documenting your job search contacts each week.

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Oh yeah I've been doing the job search stuff - three contacts a week right? I've been logging them on CalJOBS. Didn't realize that was connected to the claimyr thing too, helpful to know the agent can answer multiple questions at once.

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Yes three employer contacts per week is the standard requirement unless you're in standby status which has different rules. Good that you're already on top of it and using CalJOBS.

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wait what is standby status? is that like if you expect to get called back to a job?

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Exactly. Standby status is when your employer has indicated you'll be recalled within a certain timeframe. If EDD approves standby you're temporarily exempt from the active job search requirement. But you have to apply for it, it's not automatic.

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Not to derail but this question about working while collecting benefits is related - if you're 64 and getting SS and UI, can you also do like some part time work? Would that mess everything up?

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Part time work while on UI is allowed in California. Wages from part time work do reduce your weekly UI benefit but not dollar for dollar. You have a 25% earnings disregard - meaning 25% of your weekly wages don't count against your benefit, and the rest reduces it. So working part time usually still makes financial sense. Report all wages on your weekly cert in the week you EARN them (not when you're paid).

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oh okay so it's not an automatic disqualifier just a reduction. that's actually good to know

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I might end up picking up some part time work while I search so this is helpful for me too

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Going back to the SSDI point from earlier - I tried to call EDD four times today and couldn't get through. Does that Claimyr service work for complicated questions or just simple stuff? My situation is really specific and I need to actually talk to someone who knows the rules.

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When I used it the agent I reached was a regular EDD rep so they can handle whatever a normal call would handle. Complex questions, specific account issues, adjudication questions - same as if you'd called and gotten through normally. The service just solves the getting-through problem, not a scripted bot or anything. claimyr.com if you want to try it, video at https://youtu.be/JmuwXR7HA10.

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okay I'm going to try this because I genuinely cannot keep taking time off work (well, the part time work I still have) to sit on hold

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Good luck. The SSDI + UI question really does need a direct EDD conversation because the answer is genuinely person-specific.

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Something nobody mentioned yet - make sure your claim doesn't end up in adjudication over the SS question. When EDD sees you're receiving Social Security on your initial application some claims get flagged for review. If yours gets stuck in adjudication don't panic but do follow up. Adjudication just means a rep needs to review your specific situation before approving. It doesn't mean denial.

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Mine has been processing for about 8 days without a status update - could that be adjudication? I haven't gotten any letters about it.

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8 days is still within normal processing time. Adjudication usually shows up as a specific status in UI Online. If it goes past 3 weeks with no movement then start following up more urgently.

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yeah adjudication scared me to death when I saw it on my claim. the word just sounds ominous. turns out mine was resolved in like 5 days

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does anyone know if the rules are different if you're collecting survivor benefits vs retirement SS? asking for my mom

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Survivor benefits fall under the same Social Security offset elimination in California - they don't reduce your UI weekly benefit amount. The California rule applies to Social Security payments broadly, not just retirement. Your mom should be fine to collect both if she meets standard UI eligibility.

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amazing thank you, she was scared to even file

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OP have you gotten any update on your claim since posting? Curious how it all worked out

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Yes! Claim was approved about 10 days after I posted this. First payment hit my Bank of America account last week. Getting both SS and the UI deposit and nobody at EDD has flagged anything. Such a relief. For anyone finding this thread later - yes you absolutely can collect California EDD unemployment and Social Security at the same time, at least for regular retirement SS.

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congrats!! love a thread with actual resolution

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this is the closure we all needed lol. congrats OP

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saving this whole thread. genuinely the clearest explanation of this topic anywhere online

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One more thing worth mentioning for people in this situation - when you eventually exhaust your UI benefits, your Social Security amount won't have been affected by having collected unemployment. Some people worry that collecting UI while on SS somehow flags your SS account or affects future SS calculations. It doesn't. They're completely separate programs and UI doesn't appear anywhere in your Social Security record.

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I had that worry in the back of my mind actually. Good to see it addressed directly.

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Correct. Unemployment compensation is not earned income for Social Security purposes and doesn't affect your SS benefit calculation or record in any way.

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this whole thread should be pinned honestly. i've seen this question asked like 20 times on here and watched people get wrong answers. the short version is: social security retirement = fine to collect with california edd unemployment. ssdi = more complicated talk to edd. pension = might reduce your ui. 401k you're not drawing = doesn't matter

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Perfect summary honestly. Wish I'd found something this clear when I first started panicking about it.

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should send this to everyone who posts the 'can i get both' question in this sub. clear breakdown.

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